Margaret Atwood Is Writing a ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Sequel

It would be nice, I suppose, if Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale — a novel about a horrific dystopia future where America has become a theocracy where men dominated, control, and enslave women — had faded from memory because its story had lost its relevance in a modern world free from strife and conflict. Sadly for us, that hasn’t happened. The Handmaid’s Tale might be more relevant and more disturbing in 2018 than when it was written in 1985. And the novel has gotten new life thanks to its adaptation as a hit television series on Hulu starring Elisabeth Moss.

The Handmaid’s Tale has already aired two seasons, with a third on the way soon. And now Atwood has announced she is returning to the land of Gilead with her first sequel novel, promising that everything readers have “ever asked” about the world of The Handmaid’s Tale is “the inspiration for this book.”

The website linked to in Atwood’s tweet doesn’t have any information about The Testaments yet, but I imagine it’ll be coming soon. I also imagine the book will be an instant bestseller, given the buzz continuing to surround The Handmaid’s Tale. Could it spawn its own movie after that? Or could Hulu’s Handmaid’s Tale morph into The Testaments over time? I think we’ll be spending a lot of time in Gilead in the future, for better or for worse.